Interaction Manager

The Multimodality Manager and the Interaction Resource Discovery handle single turns in the interaction between user and smart product. However, typically the smart products developer does not only want to control individual interaction steps but seeks to specify the interaction at a higher abstraction level, e.g., as workflows. The Interaction Manager provides this functionality. It can handle multiple steps of interaction with the user or other smart products available. It also provides additional flexibility, substituting explicit interaction with the user by using input from sensors and other smart products as well as delegating sub-tasks to other smart products, where this is possible.

Developer: Marcus Ständer

License

While the Interaction Manager itself is based on standard Java, the workflow engine requires some libraries to provide its functionality. In general, the Interaction Manager is available under BSD license.

How to get started

To get a rough overview about the components of the InteractionManager, visit this page: Overview

While the InteractionManager consists of several components, most functions are configured using workflows. Thus, this section contains information about "How to get started with workflows". So far, the system is under continuous development and thus, the description might change over time. In case of unexpected problems, please have an eye on updates.

• How to get started with workflows

• How to connect to local engines

• How to connect to remote engines

• How to listen for local workflow events

• How to listen for remote workflow events

• How to learn relations of events and activities using workflows

Configuring the Interaction Manager

• Interaction Manager Configuration Files

Infos about services of the engine

• FileServer Service

Related Tools

• Workflow Editor

API Documentation

• Interaction Manager API
  This will contain the interface and implementation description of the Interaction Manager

Methexis Workflow Engine

• Methexis Client API
  For programmers of workflow clients

• Methexis Interaction API
  Contains interactionTypes and testing framework (last is deprecated)

• Methexis Core
  The Core API contains central elements like the XPDL specification and Extensions like the ContextConfig implementation

• Service Programming Interface
  The Service Programming Interface for Developers of Methexis Services

• Workflow Management Coalition Specification
  The implementation of the WfMC standard

Experimental Data

• The experimental setup and data for the paper "Adapting Workflows to Intelligent Environments" can be found here.

Additional Material

• Description of the workflow engine
• D5.4.2: Initial Implementation of MMUI to Interact with Smart Products & Proactive Knowledge
• Philip Webster, Victoria Uren, Marcus Ständer, Shaken not Stirred: Mixing Semantics into XPDL, 5th International Workshop on Semantic Business Process Management, Extended Semantic Web Conference 2010 (ESWC 2010).